Itzel De Leon, ’25, takes on a transformative role at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center.

Itzel De Leon, ’25, recently completed an impactful public health nursing internship at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center. This experience immersed the nursing student in patient care, healthcare advocacy, and leadership development while simultaneously working on a trauma-informed care research project. De Leon applied to the internship after learning about the opportunity from Assistant Professor of Nursing Pat DiGiacomo, Ed.D., who encouraged sophomore and junior students to submit their resumes. Following a rigorous selection process, De Leon was offered the position to support a variety of healthcare services in an under-resourced community.

“My Lasallian education equipped me with skills for patient-centered care, effective therapeutic communication, and advocacy,” De Leon shared. “Additionally, my volunteer experiences at La Salle provided me with valuable insights into diverse life experiences.”

Throughout the internship, De Leon’s responsibilities were multifaceted, from administering vaccinations and providing prenatal care to leading patient outreach efforts.

Alongside her daily duties, she focused her research on trauma-informed care, investigating the prevalence of trauma in patients’ lives, and the critical importance of addressing holistic needs for improved outcomes. De Leon credits this internship for broadening her understanding of social determinants of health and the resources available to underserved populations, which she believes will be invaluable in her future nursing career.

De Leon emphasized the importance of the leadership and professional development sessions she attended: “These sessions on healthcare and advocacy were crucial and relevant to any field I pursue in the future.”

—Rafiga Imanova, MBA, ’25